Only Human
by ColorlessLove
Summary: It had been three years since the war had ended and a feud that lasted for hundreds of years had been resolved. Three years of peace and quiet but over the horizon a storm beings to form as a dangerous enemy creeps closer. Can he be stopped?
1. Chapter 1- Human

**Chapter One – Human**

He staggered slowly down the familiar path, his hands pressing against the open wound over his ribcage as he left a trail of blood behind him. His pale olive skin shone brightly under the moon light and with the shadows over his face he could easily be mistaken for a ghost roaming the lands on a winter's night.

Singing voices drifted from the amphitheater, where a bright flame danced in the wind. Step by step the boy made his way there, his vision turning blurrier with every move as the metallic taste filled his mouth. He could barely walk now, he could barely make it through but he knew that he could not give up, not now when he was this close.

So close now, just a few more steps and he was there, he could feel the heat of the fire chasing away the coldness of the night, the voices were louder now but they were no longer singing, but he didn't know that – his mind was in such loss that he could no longer make out the words they were saying. There was emptiness inside of him, one that could only result from a massive blood lost, or at least so he had thought at that moment.

"He's coming," he blurted out, not even sure what he was saying as the screams filled his ears and he found himself stumbling forward as the world around him quickly turned black.

OoOoOoO

Screaming, people all around him seem to have lost all courage at the sight of the gravely injured boy who stumbled in, but it wasn't his job to fear – as a consoler, it was his job to help. Jumping to his feet, the young man rushed over to the boy, only half aware of the blond woman who was doing the exact same thing. He should have noticed her, he should have noticed the look upon her face at the boy's words but couldn't worry about it now, not when there is someone who is in clear need of help.

"Percy," the blonde said, stopping right next to him as he kneeled down next to the boy, his eyes examining the open wound in his upper body and his tattered blood stained clothes. "Is he still breathing?" she asked, not paying attention to the people who hurried to calm to crowd, scattering the campers back to their respective cabins.

The man, Percy, turned his sea blue eyes to her and gave her a small nod. "He is, but I don't think that he would do it for much longer in this state," he said, returning his eyes to the thin boy and in a swift move he lifted him up."I'll get him to the Big House, you go and get some guys from the Apollo cabin," he said as he got back up to his feet.

The blonde woman nodded before she rushed into the scattering crowd and Percy took off in the opposite direction, missing her worry eyes following him for a short moment until they were both out of each other sight.

It wasn't strange for him to miss such things, apparently so small but they were also things that sometimes foreshadowed the future. Still, he didn't see them, Percy Jackson might have grown much in the past three years, might have became a truer hero than he had ever been, but he would always be oblivious or like his girlfriend often said, he would always be a seaweed brain.

And so it was that he raced toward the Big House, nothing on his mind but the wounded boy in his arms, not allowing any sense of familiarity as he made his way up the stairs to be greeted by the worries eyes of Chiron.

"Come quickly," the centaur said, leading Percy inside before pointing at the couch so the boy could be placed there. "There is no time to get him to the infirmary," he explained before Percy could even ask. "Go and get some ambrosia and nectar, we don't have much time."

His eyes were way, but he had experienced so much death in the past few years and Percy could only share his pain at the deaths of the many campers in those wars. Wars which have never happened if it wasn't for the faith cruel work. Percy did not say anything as he turned to leave the room, however the sound of a familiar voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Percy," came the weak whisper, making him turn around slowly and look down at the boy, his eyes growing wider as he recognized the dark shade of chocolate in them. "Percy," the whisper came again and the man walked forward towards the boy.

"I'm here," he said, not understanding how he could not have recognized him. Yes, it had been three years but a person could not have changed that much in that time span. Sure, the son of Hades had grown taller and had long since stopped looking like the child he remembered, but he should have known. "Nico, I'm right here," he fell to the floor beside the couch and grabbed the boy's hand, squeezing it softly.

Chiron looked at the two with sad eyes, seemingly thinking of saying some before he left to complete the task he had given Percy. There was a new kind of worry inside of him, he could barely say that the boy in front of him was demigod, let alone Nico, something or someone was hiding the boy.

Nico couldn't move as he lied on the couch, pain rushing through ever fiber of his being as his eyes turned blurry. "He's coming, Percy," he whispered, chocking as he coughed out blood. Perhaps he should not speak and Percy's worried eyes suggested that as well, Nico knew that it would do him no good, but he had to say this, he has to say everything before it would all be replaced by the emptiness. "F-fire would burn and everything would crumble to ashes, Percy, he would ruin everything in his path," he stumbled over his words, biting the inside of his cheek as he tried to hold a cry as a shock of pain hit his body.

"Don't try to talk," Percy ordered, moving his free hand to put pressure over Nico's wound, hoping to stop the gashing blood. There was no need to be a genius to know that if he won't get treated soon, Nico won't survive this.

"There is going to be another war," he continued to try, pain written over his face. "A war," bit he didn't continue the sentence as his eyes rolled back and the world turned black again. He didn't feel it when Percy shook him, nor did he hear him calling his name, just the blissful silence of the darkness.

OoOoOoO

Annabeth stroked his hand slowly as they say on the Big House's porch, her blond hair falling in soft curls around her face. She had arrived to the house about three hours ago with the best healers the Apollo cabin could offer, only to be completely shocked with the revolution that the injured boy was none other than the missing son of Hades, Nico di'Angelo.

There were so many questions going through her mind, but more than everything else there was worry. She had never gotten along well with him as the boy seemed to try his best to avoid her, yet she knew the she owed him her life and that even if Nico had many problems, he was the unaccredited hero of the Giants war and perhaps the Titans war as well. She owed him much and Annabeth always paid her debts.

"Why is it taking so long?" Percy's voice cut her line of thoughts and the young woman turned her stormy gray eyes to him. "It had been hours, they have at least said something by now," as much as Annabeth was worried for Nico, she knew that was more worried.

"It's a good thing, Perce," she said, trying to lift up his spirits. "It means that his wounds are treatable," she explained, trying to put some logic into her words even if she knew that it would not mean much. "Nico would get through this."

She couldn't be sure, but Annabeth needed to be certain that Percy didn't lose hope. Through it all, and though the feeling probably wasn't mutual, Percy had come to view Nico as a little brother; she remembered how he had requested a quest to search for the boy about three months after he disappeared, when it was becoming obvious that he wasn't coming back. Three years had passed and Annabeth probably knew her boyfriend better than he knew himself, which meant that somewhere in his mind Percy was blaming himself for Nico's condition. If only he had searched more, if only he would have found him three years ago – this wouldn't have happened.

Annabeth squeezed his hand tightly and leaned her head against his shoulder. "There is nothing that you could have done to prevent this," she told him, watching as the sea blue eyes focused on her and though he didn't say anything, she knew that he believed otherwise.

Percy didn't mean to act this coldly towards her, but all he could was wrap one arm around her and pull her closer to him, hoping that it would be enough to comfort both of them. Worry, it was something that never really gone away and Nico… Nico had gone through so much in his life, he had lost and gained everything, only to lose it to the feeling that he did not belong, choosing the shadows even when everyone kept trying to convince him to stay. Percy just wanted him to have a quiet life for once, for him not have to go through hell and back.

"He'll get through this," he mumbled into Annabeth's hair, trying to convince himself more than anything else really. "Nico is strong, he had done some amazing things," like going through Tartarus alone, the horrors that he and Annabeth were the only ones who have seen it too for they too passed through the darkest part of the world, the pit of monsters.

His girlfriend only smiled at him, giving him a small nod before turning her eyes back to the dark sky. "Do you think we should tell everyone that it's him?" she asked, unsure if either one of them could actually leave this place before they know that Nico was going to be completely fine. "I mean Jason and Hazel had been worried sick and the guys all care for him too," she said.

"No," his answer was short and clear. "We should only tell them when we have more to say than the fact that he is gravely wounded, we shouldn't get their hopes up for nothing," he knew that if Nico was dying, they would want to be by his side, but the same time, it would pain them less if they didn't see him like this – Percy wished he hadn't, it brought back those painful memories of the war, of how close they were to lose him then. No, he couldn't give them that would fail them.

"It's not fair to them," she said, knowing that she won't be able to sway away his thoughts from it, but Annabeth believed that they deserved to know, especially if those were Nico's last hours.

"What good will it do to bring all of them here, to get their hopes up only for him to die?" it hadn't felt real until he said it out loud, the words seemed to echo through the air as it sank in, Nico di'Angelo, after everything he had been through, might die tonight.

Silence filled the air as he said that, sadness filling Annabeth's eyes as she looked at him, Percy had changed so much since she had met him eight years ago, two wars in which one is forced to fight can do that to a person. She had changed too, her regard on life, friendship and love was completely different now. The fear of losing another person in a time of peace, it was greater than everything she had ever felt before.

The crack of the door shook the two of them out of the frozen state they had entered, their eyes turning to look at the centaur. Annabeth could feel Percy's hand holding onto hers at the tired look on Chiron's face, worry settling in her heart as she prepared herself for the worst. "He is stable; it looks like Mr. di'Angelo is going to be alright."

OoOoOoO

She was furious, no, furious was an understatement when it was required to describe the way she was feeling right now. She was beyond furious and anyone who had ever seen the true rage of the daughter of Pluto knew that it was not a preferable state for the usually sweet sixteen years old.

Hazel Lévesque's day had started like any other day at Camp Jupiter, she had got to spend most other day with her boyfriend on the training field and in New Rome, and then she spent the rest of her day attending to her duties as a centurion. It was a normal day and it would have been fully described as one if she hadn't been shaken awake half an hour before midnight.

The news that she had been delivered were the very reason for her anger at the moment. The dark skinned teen passed through the quiet camp in a stride, first rays of sunshine were only starting to light the night sky, but even with the lack of sleep that night due to making her way to New York was not enough to make her tired, Hazel did not have the time to be tired.

"Hazel, slow down," Frank's voice echoed from behind her as he rushed to keep up with her, a worried glance in his eyes. As a son of Mars and a praetor, he knew that he should not be afraid of his anything but something in the eyes of his girlfriend that night made him want to take a step back.

"I will not!" she was mad, he had no doubt about it. "Three years, Frank! Three!" she raised her voice and he tried to conceal a sigh.

Frank could easily remember how she had been three years ago, how worried she had been when Nico had disappeared. Hazel and Nico never did have the perfect relationship, but it seemed to have improved during the way and so, it was only natural for her to worry when all traces of Nico were gone.

She had spent about a year searching for him, praying to the gods that she would get a sign from him, only taking comfort in knowing that he hadn't died for he was not in the underworld either. Frank hated to admit it, but this had somewhat changed her and he could understand her anger now. Nico was technically her only family and he just left, not even saying goodbye. Frank would have been angry as well.

To make things somewhat worse, he had returned to Camp Half-Blood first, not to her and there was only a small matter in which he was supposedly badly wounded. Frank was just really happy that he was not the son of Hades right now.

"Where is he?" Hazel asked when the two of them reached the front porch of the Big House, her eyes zooming on Percy. "You should have something earlier, not have waited a few hours," was ready to unleash her rage, but Frank quickly placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, reminding her that this was not the time for it.

Percy moved his hand through his hair, there were dark circles under his eyes and it was clear that he hadn't slept a minute that night. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to know he'd be okay first," at least he had the dignity to look guilty.

"Chiron said that we should all calm down before we go see him," all eyes turned to the blond boy leaning against the wall. "He made it clear that Nico almost lost his life tonight, we should save the yelling for when he is completely healed," there was no doubt that the son of Jupiter was a born leader. "Okay?"

Everyone looked at him, taking a few moments before they agreed and the seven of them entered the house. Each and every one of them owed something to Nico, having been saved or protected by him during one of the two wars, if not in both. It just took them way too long to understand that this dark little boy was a true hero. That was why they all came; wanting to see it with their own eyes and believe that Nico di'Angelo was indeed back and he alive and breathing.

OoOoOoO

His legs were folded close to his body, he was only half aware of the pain that flew inside of his body like the blood in his veins. He couldn't understand why he had returned to camp, Nico had sworn that he would not do so, not before he could get rid of those foolish feelings he had.

Slowly he buried his head in his knees, trying to calm himself down and remind himself that it was going to be alright, he could hold it in until his would heal and then he would leave again.

"Nico?" a voice sounded from the door, shock echoing in the familiar tone. Slowly, the boy raised his eyes, blinking a couple of times as they fell on the dark skinned girl, but it couldn't be. She couldn't be…

"H-Hazel?" his voice cracked, the teenager in front of him couldn't possibly be his sister. She was too tall, too mature, not the thirteen years old girl he remembered leaving behind not too long ago. "Is that you? How can it be?" he asked, chocolate eyes growing wider.

The girl took a step back at this, her eyes wide. "What are you talking about?" anger was clear in her voice, so unlike her that it made Nico raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Of course it's me! What did you that I would look the same after three years?" Frank hurried to place a hand on her shoulder again, trying to calm her down.

Nico's eyes quickly turned to the rest of the people in the room, he knew them all, yet they were all older, they had changed so much, but it just couldn't be. It couldn't.

"No," Nico shook his head as he spoke, his eyes stopping on Percy as he felt his heartbeat growing faster. "No, it can't be three years," he was almost afraid to look at himself, not wanting to see a final proof that it had been just that. "I-I would've remembered," he was shaking slightly, trying to search in his mind for anything, but there was only a lingering feeling of emptiness.

Annabeth was the next person to speak, taking a step forward at his words. "Don't you remember anything?" she asked, both worried and curious.

"You have to remember, Nico," Percy said, worry in his voice. He needed answered and he didn't like the idea that someone bad had happened to Nico, yet they didn't know who or what did it. "You almost died, Nico, you said that there is going to be another war."

Silence followed Percy's words and Nico looked right at him, fear filling his eyes. "I don't," he said, he couldn't even remember getting back to camp. Flinching at the pain, he closed his eyes. "I don't remember anything."


	2. Chapter 2 - Dark Shines I

****Chapter Two – Dark shines ********I****

__"You have to remember, Nico," Percy said, worry in his voice. He needed answered and he didn't like the idea that someone bad had happened to Nico, yet they didn't know who or what did it. "You almost died, Nico, you said that there is going to be another war."__

__Silence followed Percy's words and Nico looked right at him, fear filling his eyes. "I don't," he said, he couldn't even remember getting back to camp. Flinching at the pain, he closed his eyes. "I don't remember anything."__

OoOoOoO

Looking at his reflection, he could not shake the feeling that he was looking at a stranger. His dark messy hair reached just above his shoulders, long limbs connecting and making him taller than he would have ever thought he'll be, it was almost like all signs of the fourteen years old he used to be had been stolen away from him in a blink of an eye. It didn't help that Nico knew that it had been three years, not as long as he couldn't remember those years, he simply felt awkward within his own body.

Spinning the skull ring around his finger, he continued to stare at the mirror, watching as the shadows traveled to create the form of the boy he had been next to him. Letting go of a loud sigh, he dropped his hands to the sides of his body, not paying attention as the shadows faded away, ironically leaving the empty space of his memories.

It had been a week since Nico had returned to camp and it had been three days since he was declared stable enough to move from the infirmary to the Hades cabin at camp. He was given strict orders to rest for at least a week more to make sure he healed completely, that's of course if his wound would heal at all. Carefully, Nico removed his shirt, tilting his head as he stared at his chest. The previously white bandages around his torso were once again tinted with red and if he removed them, he knew he would be looking at the raw flesh, almost as if it had only been cut through today.

"Nico?" a voice interrupted his line of thoughts and quickly, perhaps too quickly, he put on his shirt again. Clear pain showing on his face as the door open to reveal his sister. "Are you alright?" she asked, worry showing in her voice as she looked at him.

Since his return, Hazel had basically moved into the Hades cabin in camp Half Blood, she said that it was because she missed him and she was worried about him, but Nico knew that it was because none of them trusted him enough to leave him on his own. By the look he was given, it seemed like they expected him to shadow travel as far as he can once he gets the chance. Not that Nico could deny it, he did feel a strong urge to flee the camp.

"I'm fine, stop looking at me like I'm crippled," he answered, his tone colder than he intended, the hurt expression on Hazel's face made him sheepish. "I'm sorry, I know you're just worried," he said, moving to sit down on his bed as he buried his head in his palms. "It's just hard, I'm seventeen but as far as my brain is concerned I'm not," Nico felt the shift of weight on the bed as the girl sat down next to him. "It doesn't help that you all treat me like a baby either, you need to give me space to breath."

At first, Hazel didn't respond but Nico could hear her shallow breaths and he imagined her biting her lower lips and trying to figure out what she could possibly say to him in this situation. "I'm sorry," she eventually said and Nico looked up to see her warm eyes looking at him. "We're afraid that you'll just disappear again."

It was a relief to have one of them admit it as everyone seemed to have danced around the topic shamelessly, none willing to admit to what he already knew. "I swear on the rive of Styx that I would not go anywhere without telling one of you," thunder shook the sky as he looked at Hazel, hoping that it would be enough but if the look on her face was anything for him to go by, the answer was clear – it wasn't enough.

"Nico," she said as he got up, a disbelieving look on his face as he looked down at her.

"No, I'm done with you," he said before turning around and storming out of the cabin, not even surprise when she followed him out and ever so annoyed as he ran into Percy, Annabeth and Jason only a few meters away from the Hades cabin. "Unbelievable," he growled, coming to a stop as the three of them blocked his way.

Percy was the first one to step forward, allowing his hand to drop out of that of Annabeth and forcing Nico to bite the inside of his cheek in order to contain the jealousy that bubbled inside of him for seeing that. This was why he wanted to leave more than everything else, he couldn't stand it, being forced to watch their _perfect_ relationship all of the time – a cruel reminder that he would never have something like that.

"What's going on?" he asked, it was such a naive question and so simple that he drove Nico insane.

"I don't know, why don't you tell me?" the anger was clear in his voice and he was glaring daggers at the young man, putting so much more to his glare than the feeling of a locked pet. The son of Hades knew that he was being unfair at that moment, but he couldn't even think about it, he was blinded. "One of you is always around, I can't possibly be trusted no matter what it is that I do, I feel like some sort of an enemy to you or worse, you make me into your own damn puppy," if Nico could have breathed fire, he would have probably done so.

Percy seemed to be taken aback by his sudden outburst, they had all been walking on eggshells around him lately but none of them could deny that they refused to leave the teenager on his own.

"We're doing this to help you, Nico," Annabeth spoke up, taking a step forward to stand next to her boyfriend as her stormy eyes focused on the boy in front of her. "You shouldn't be so ungrateful."

Nico's eyes widen at her words. _Ungrateful?_ Oh, now that was just too much. He was already confused and lost about himself, but he should be grateful that they made him feel like a caged animal? He couldn't believe it and if the snort and bitter laugh that escaped his lips were a hint, he didn't bother to hide his disbelief.

"We really should not be fighting," Jason pipped in, electric blue eyes focused on Nico, but not on his face, lower at his torso where the black shirt stuck to his body and was slowly soaking in blood. "You're bleeding," he said, making the ghost king look down and once again register the pain that hit his body in waves.

"It's nothing," Nico said, refusing to show any sign of weakness on his face. He used to be horrible at that, but whatever had happened to him in the past three years had made it easier for him.

"It's not nothing," seethed Hazel as she moved in front of her brother.

Percy and Annabeth both nodded their heads at that, "it should have closed properly by now, especially with the amount of nectar you've been given," said the blonde. Nico didn't look at them, he knew that they were right but at the same time, he didn't think that he was ready to admit that something was seriously wrong.

OoOoOoO

"He wouldn't have come here," he insisted as he slowly walked up the hill, his brownish hair messy as it was continued to be ruffled by the wind. "He said he wouldn't."

"He would have if he didn't have another choice," added the girl as she walked beside him, her long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail, tips colored in green. She was beautiful, tall and thin with a pale skin and enchanting blue eyes, almost like a porcelain doll but one look would be enough to say that she was not fragile, she had a powerful aura to her, crackling like fire. "The same as us, we are given no choice but to come here, to find him," she turned her eyes to the boy.

The boy, or perhaps more of a young man, was no less beautiful than she was, almost like a statue with his broad shoulders and defined chin. Like the girl, he had pale skin but his hair was of light brown and his eyes were far more unique than hers – one shone in the same enchanting blue and the other glittered like an emerald in the sinking sun. "We should not involve them in our affairs," he said, anger dripping into his voice as he continued walking. His aura, not unlike that of his companion, was powerful but it did not crackled like a burning fire, it flew and spiraled around him like a dangerous storm.

"Brother dear," she said as she came to a stop at the top of the hill, a little smirk playing on her lips as she shook her head at him. "They are already involved in our affairs," she chuckled, obviously amused by his anger. "The minute you involved him in our affairs, you brought the lot of them with him."

Looking at his sister with his mismatched eyes, he snorted and stopped next to her. "Then you're saying that it was written that we will have to work with _their kind_?" he raised an eyebrow at her and she chuckled once more.

"Declan," she said, turning her blue eyes to look at the view from the hill. "We were once _their kind_, or have you forgotten that? Father would not be pleased."

Rolling his eyes, Declan followed her gaze to look down from the hill. "I have not forgotten, Audrey," he said, some of the anger melting away from his voice. "But we cannot be both, we do not belong with them anymore and to deny it is to deny who we have become," there was something in his eyes as he said those words, but that glint had vanished before it could be noticed by his sister.

Sighing, she placed a hand over his shoulder, it was uncomfortable as he was taller but she did not seem to mind. "You are worried about him, aren't you?" she asked.

"He does no longer belong with them," he said quietly, not moving his gaze from the camp that stretched out beneath them. "They cannot help him, he needs guidance that they cannot provide," he was like stone as he spoke, a well oiled machine who had said those things before.

"I miss him too," Audrey said with a small smile as she looked at the camp as well. "We better go and provide him of that guidance then," she said and with inhuman speed she made her way down the hill and towards camp, her brother not far behind her.

**Okay, so this one was shorter but I hope you still like it.  
>I'm sorry for the long update, it would hopefully be at least once a week from now on.<strong>

**Please review and tell me your thoughts.**


	3. Chapter 3 - Dark Shines II

**Chapter Three – Dark Shines II**

_"We can't force you to make this decision, you must do it willingly."_

"_I know," he said, dark brown eyes staring into the golden ones. "We've been over it, it's the right thing for me to do."_

_The golden eyes blinked at him before a small smile spread on the rosy lips of the man in front of him, sending a pleasant shiver down his spine as his cheek heated up. "It comes with a price, you will never be the same."_

_"I don't care, it's worth it, my new family."_

_"Are you sure?" The man asked him, his voice softer than before but it was comforting. "Nico, there is no going back from this."_

_Nico smiled at him and took a step closer, he was sure and there was nothing that was going to change his mind. It was the only path he could see and there was not a single part of him that regretted those events, it was almost as if destiny had called him and he was only steps away from fulfilling it now._

_"Nico?"_

"Nico?" A familiar voice rang in his ears. "Nico, hey come on man, wake up!" At the sensation of someone placing his hand over his shoulder, the teenager shot up, eyes opening to quickly be closed as he was blinded by the light. The dream, or perhaps it was a memory, started to slip out from his grasp and Nico tried to hold onto it, but as he opened his again all that he could remember was a pair of golden eyes looking back at him.

"Leo! What do you think you're doing?" The son of Hades turned his eyes to look at Hazel as she entered the infirmary before they moved to look at the curled hair mechanic sitting at the edge of his bed with a wide grin plastered on his face as he looked back at him.

"'Sup?" he asked, making Nico rolled his eyes before he leaned back into his pillows. He had been sent back to the infirmary earlier that day, when it had been discovered that his wound was far from healing, to everyone's great dismay, even Chiron seemed to have grown worried of the lack of progress that had been made. It wasn't good, but Nico didn't feel as if he was about to die, so he assumed that it wasn't too horrible. "I was waking him up, he had been up and walking for a few days so I thought that he would like to come to dinner with us," Leo told Hazel, still grinning to Nico and Hazel's annoyance.

Nico didn't need to look at his sister to know that she was seething, he had seen how she had been like for the past few days and her new developed temper wasn't too fun to watch. At least not when it was directing at him or had anything to do with him, which it always seemed to do.

"He should be resting, not leaving bed until we know what's wrong with him," yes, everyone (minus Leo) had been talking about Nico as if he wasn't actually there since they found out that he was lying about getting better. Honestly, he didn't know how they could blame him with all the fuss that they were making over it.

He could hear Leo answering back to Hazel and while he was grateful to have someone on his side, even if it had to be Valdez, all that he wanted to do was to shut the two of them out, too tired of being treated like he wasn't there. Instead, Nico tried to focus on the dream he had, something about those golden eyes and warm smile made his heart beat faster, it was strange because he couldn't put contact to the face, yet at the same time it stirred something inside of him and though he was reluctant to admit it, that something was rather pleasant.

It was almost enough for him to forget the pain that rocked as his body as he could feel his wound start to bleed again, though he wasn't sure if it have truly stopped bleeding. Nico had a small feeling that he was only alive because the nectar and ambrosia were enough to deal with the blood lost.

Moving slightly, watching as Leo and Hazel continued to argue, he took his chance and slang his legs over the side of the bed which was unfortunately enough to catch Hazel's attention.

"What do you're doing?"

"I believe that it's called getting up," he answered, not even looking at her as he carefully stood up and walked over to grab his leather jacket. "I'm a big boy, I can handle going and getting dinner on my own," he said with a fake smile, doing his best to ignore Leo's happy grin in his direction. He really was annoying.

Not that Leo seemed to have noticed Nico's dislike towards him as he walked over and placed one arm over his shoulders. "See, we think alike."

"Hardly," Nico replied before pushing the boy's arm off and walking out the door, the two soon followed him and Hazel began lecturing about the importance of him lying in bed but as he continued to walk slowly, he simply ignored her.

It wasn't only the caged feeling that was driving him off the edge, there was something more, something that made him feel like he just didn't belong there and there was this heavy feeling in his chest. It was almost like he was missing something. _'Or maybe someone,'_ a small voice in his mind said as he was once again reminded with the golden eyes.

OoOoOoO

It should have been a normal dinner, as normal as it could have been considering everything that had happened since Nico's sudden return, but it should have been normal nevertheless. Or that was what Percy had tried to convince himself as he sat down next to Annabeth, offering her a soft smile.

"Hey," she offered him a smile as well, but it didn't seem to reach her eyes.

"Hey Annie," he wasn't as smart as she was, but Percy knew that there was something bothering her, the way she would bite her lower lips and seem to be deep in thoughts all the time. At first, he thought that she was only worried but she had never quite gotten along with the son of Hades and while Percy didn't doubt that her worry was real, he couldn't help but feel as if there was something more about him that kept festering her mind,.

Annabeth didn't talk to him ans for some reason, Percy didn't feel comfortable to ask. She would tell him if she'd want to, when she's ready to speak about it, he would just remind her that he was there, squeezing her hand gently so she would not forget.

She looked back at him, her gray eyes shinning with something that he could not describe and when she spoke next it came barely as a whisper. "I don't want another war, Percy," she said, not looking away. "An unknown enemy, a power we can't understand, I don't want to be part of that again," he should have known, he should understand her feelings but at the same time, he knew he wouldn't be able to stand aside when it will begin.

"Annabeth," he started, unsure what he wanted to say but Percy didn't get to think of it as a strong wind blew in their direction before coming to a stop so suddenly. His eyes moved to look at Jason, but the son of Jupiter looked as puzzled as he was.

"Just in time for dinner," came an unfamiliar voice and Percy, along with everyone else, searched for its source. Two strangers stood in the middle of the dinning pavilion, almost as if they appeared out of no where.

Percy and a few other campers rose to their feet immediately, everyone were more alarmed since Nico's return and his warning of a coming war and while the two hardly seemed like monsters, they knew better than to be fooled so easily and their sudden entrance seemed alarming in his eyes. It didn't took a minute before Percy was already holding Riptide in his hand.

Before he could make a move, one of the two turned his way, a boy, not much younger than himself with define face lines and cold demure, but the unnerving things were his eyes, mismatching in their color as they looked at him as a small smile spread on his lips. "I would put it away, Percy Jackson," he said, voice sharp and strong. "I could shot an arrow through your forehead before you can even so much as swing it."

That did not help the strangers much as more of the campers rose to their feet in alarm, though not many were armed.

"Who are you?" Percy asked, tightening his grip on Riptide, preparing to attack at any hint of impending danger from the two. The girl turned her head to look at him, she was beautiful, that much Percy could not deny, and unlike her companion she did not seem as cold.

She smiled at him, her enchanting blue eyes sparkling with amusement. "It doesn't matter who we are," she answered, much to everyone's annoyance. "My brother and I would be leaving shortly, we are simply looking for someone," so they were siblings? At first sight, Percy wouldn't have been able to say that but as he took a closer look at the two, it was rather clear that they were.

"I must disagree," said Annabeth from next to him, dagger already in hand. "This is our camp and you threatened one of our own, I must ask you to answer the question."

"I wouldn't call it threatening," the boy replied, smirking as he looked at Annabeth and making Percy narrow his eyes. "It was a warning, we don't take it lightly when attacked and although you may hold the title of heroes of Olympus or the Seven, neither would have gone easy on you. Not a threat, a warning."

"A bit full of yourself, don't you think?" Percy asked, arching an eyebrow as he stared right at the mismatching eyes, trying to stop the growing nerves as he noticed his strong aura, This, those people, couldn't bid anything good for the future, they were there to take something that Percy cared about and at that moment, he thought that he knew what. Or more exactly who.

The girl rolled her eyes at his words, "he is always full of himself," she said, earning herself a glare from her brother. "We're not your enemies, Percy, so why don't you put your weapons down and tell us if you seen him, okay?"

"I don't think so," Percy said, not surprised to hear Jason's voice echoing his as the Roman took a stand next to him, obviously to the two annoyance.

"Don't be idiots," the boy said, spinning a golden ring around his index finger impatiently. "He doesn't belong with you, I bet you can't even heal him," there was worry in his voice, but it went unnoticed by Percy as he felt anger pulsed through his veins. With no shame, his ability to take care of those important to him had been humiliated and stepped on and he did not take such thing lightly.

"We're his family and friends," Jason spoke, glaring daggers at the two strangers as he pulled out his golden sword. "He will always belong with us."

"He never did belong here," the girl said, her voice soft and gentle as she tried to keep a calm demeanor, even if her eyes did not hide her true feelings regarding the situation. "Nor will he, we do not wish him harm though we will admit that it was carelessness on our part that he ran away and got injured, we do not seek troubles with you," there was something more, something that she wasn't telling but at that moment, Percy decided that it mattered only little.

Annabeth took a step forward, her dagger held tightly in her hand. "You just admitted that he ran away and that he did not want to be with you," her voice was sharp and there was no fear in her eyes as she spoke. "Nico di Angelo had arrived at camp mortally wounded and speaking words of a new war, taking this into consideration with your own words, I must say that the two of you seem more like enemies with every passing second."

And she was right, it was the feeling in the air and the fear that radiated from the younger campers. Percy couldn't deny that they looked like enemies, acted like ones and the fact that they were currently standing in the middle of camp was alarming to everyone around. Perhaps it was time to send a message to camp Jupiter and warn the legion.

"We're not your enemies," the girl said.

"But you are right," her brother continued. "War is coming but none of you currently has the power to fight in it, Nico's warning did come for you to fight, it came for you to hide."

Percy could feel his blood boiling once more, it was not that he wished to take part in another war but he would not be deemed useless, not after all that he had done. He fought gods, titans, giants and Gaea herself, he could deal with whichever enemy would present himself as a danger to his loved ones next. "We can fight, do not treat as like you're better, you're no gods."

They were powerful, yes, but Percy could tell that they were no divine beings, that they lived not much differently than he did.

"This fight is useless," the boy said, looking around him. "Why don't we just let Nico decide? After a couple of years traveling with my sister and I, I think that I can trust him enough to make the right decision."

"Too bad he can't remember the last three," Percy said, he wasn't sure what he had excepted, perhaps surprise from the two of them but it wasn't quite that as he looked at them now, he could see hurt, worry but most importantly he could see fear shinning in their eyes.

"Come again," the girl said, suddenly taking a few steps forward towards Percy. "He lost his memory?" They obviously didn't even take such an option into consideration when they came to camp.

"The last three years," Jason confirmed, ready to make a move if he needed to. "So why don't you listen Annabeth and tell us who you are?"

OoOoOoO

He was ignoring Hazel when he first noticed it. There was something different, as if the air around him had shifted but as Nico turned to look at his sister and the blubbering son of Hephaestus, neither of them seemed to have noticed it.

They did notice when they got closer to the pavilion, the usual chatter of the campers was replaced by a threatening silence as no one sat down next to the tables, instead all stood with their attention focused on something. Hazel turned her eyes to him, no longer talking as her eyes filled with worry and she placed one of her hands over Nico's shoulder.

"Would it help if I'd ask you to stay here?" she asked, though she had already knew the answer and in a matter of seconds, the three heroes began running towards the pavilion, both worried and curious about what was happening.

Nico could feel the pressure in his chest as the pain spread, making it harder to breath as blood slowly began to soak his shirt. He knew that he shouldn't be running, especially not into what could easily be a fight, but at the same time he couldn't stand to just wait and look around, do nothing. He had proved, time after time, that he would put his life on the line when it matters most, Nico would not stand aside like a coward.

"I don't take orders from no one, son of Jupiter," a familiar voice rang in his ears as he reached the pavilion, walking after Leo as he pushed his way towards the center. Nico recognized Percy, Annabeth and Jason even when they stood with their back to him but he could not see the person who was talking, his line of vision blocked by them.

"Well, you're clearly outnumbered, so I would suggest you reconsider," Jason spoke and Nico began pushing his way forward, curious about the situation.

"Don't," he was surprised when Percy turned to look at him, holding out his hand to tell him to stay back, which was enough to anger Nico. "Please."

Nico didn't get the chance to react before the sound of clashing swords reached his ears and he turned his eyes to see Jason with his sword out, holding back someone as their swords clashed again and again.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jason said, the surprise in his voice clear, why? Nico wasn't sure but suddenly he found himself walking forward to see his friend's opponent, this time it was him who showed shock on his face but none around him seemed to notice as the two boys continued their sword fight. Jason was an experienced fighter, but it seemed like his opponent blocked each attack with ease, almost as if he wasn't really trying.

He watched as the two of them fought, not moving as it carried on. Jason continued to put more strength behind every move but his opponent didn't seem to be affected at all by those changes, every move done with amazing speed and had an aura of effortlessness to it. The more he watched, the more he found himself focusing, not on Jason but the other boy.

The boy had light brown hair and a pale complexion, he was lean and tall, yet when looking closely one could see that he did not lack in muscles. There was a warm feeling developing in the pit of Nico's stomach and slowly he moved to look at the boy's face. He was very handsome, that Nico wouldn't be able to deny and he seemed somewhat relax as he fought, unlike Jason, whose face showed every single one of his emotions.

Nico continued to look at the boy, a small gasp escaping his lips as a pair of mismatching eyes stared at him, one enchanting blue and the other emerald in its color, they were beautiful, captivating., but more than anything else, they were familiar.

At this short moment, the boy stopped fighting and in the swing of it, Jason took his chance to attack once more.

"No!" the scream left Nico's lips before he could even think about it and time seemed to have slowed down as he watched with horror in his face as the golden sword of Jason came closer to the boy's body, then it was should have been an impossible move, the boy caught the sword in his left hand, stopping it only an inch from his shoulder.

Blood trickled down from his palm, red staining the golden blade before he let it drop, not even looking at Jason as his eyes focused on Nico.

"Nico?" Percy said, taking a small step to stand protectively in front of him, "Do you know him?" he didn't look at Nico as he kept his on the boy, not even showing concern as he allowed his hand to drop to his side, red blood still dripping. His sister soon joined his side, a small smile nestled upon her face. "And her?"

"No, yes, I'm not sure," Nico answered, not tearing his eyes away from the two strangers, though he felt as if he shouldn't refer to him like that in his head.

"Well, that's better than not knowing at all," the boy said, his voice soothing and familiar that Nico almost found himself taking a step forward towards him. "Though, I would rather the answer to be yes and not a memory loss event," he added with a sigh.

The girl, her smile seemed to familiar as well and it made Nico feel warmer for some reason. "We came to pick you up, Nic," she said and for some reason, he did not cringe at the nickname, it felt natural with her voice, it was strange. "So why don't you tell your friends that this is alright and that they should keep to their own business?"

At first, he thought that maybe she was trying to charm speak as he felt like he should listen to her, but he noticed that he didn't feel compelled to do it. It was like a feeling that he got but could not place, like he knew she was right but at the same time he didn't know why.

"You're bleeding," the boy said suddenly, Nico didn't even have time to think it over before he was standing right beside him. He didn't know how he could have possibly move that fast and Percy seemed just as dumb struck as he currently felt. "You really don't remember anything, ah?" his voice was kind, it was caring and the smile was reassuring that Nico almost smiled back.

"It's nothing," he managed to say, but the boy only shook his head and gave him another smile, oblivious to his own wounded palms as he carefully brought his hand up and let it hovered only inches away from Nico's wound.

"Don't worry, it won't hurt," he said and as Nico looked down at his hand, it was glowing in golden white color, sending shivers down his spine. It was like a cold breeze and when it was over, it was as if it had taken away all of the pain. "Here," he said.

Looking up at the boy once more, Nico could feel his heart stopped because the once mismatched eyes stared back at him in a golden color. "You."

**As promised, a quick update because of the shorter than planned last chapter.**

**I hope that you like it, please leave a review to tell me what you think.**


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